Facebook’s Chris Kelly: CA’s “social networking” political candidate?

He’s got an inside track on a social networking site that’s the size of a small country — but can Chris Kelly, the privacy officer at Facebook, really use that to enter a tougher world: California politics?

We’ll see. Kelly, as we reported earlier this month, announced that he’s got an exploratory committee up running for the 2010 Democratic nomination for state attorney general.

And we must mention state Attorney General Jerry Brown, who is still — technically — running for re-election, at least until he decides to run for governor.

We talked to Kelly this week about issues and campaigning, and what he expects next.

*On how he sees his Silicon Valley experience as preparation for the AG’s job: “It’s an incredibly diverse job. You have some sort of classic oversight of criminal justice matters … and policy issues in the state.

“But you also have this very large role as a consumer protection enforcer … to do the work on internet safety.

“And that’s really how I’ve been able to see the power of the job, in helping to define standards and work with companies that want to be responsible. And in calling out companies that aren’t responsible.

“That’s a fantastic position to move the ball forward … on important issues like internet safety, online crime, even traditional crime and the use of technology — to make systems that are antiquated up-to-date. That saves time, money and law enforcement burnout and that’s desperately what we need.”

*On social networking and politics: “I’ve played a leadership role in this company, at Facebook, to show the power of organizing in the poltiical realm … We’ve seen unbelievable things around the world, 2 million people in the streets of Bogota, protesting … 1-1/2 million porotesting the drug violence in Mexico City. There’s an incredible power that comes with it, and I want to harness that for the state of California.”

*On legalizing marijuana: “I’m not comfortable with a full legalization process. I actually think the medicial marijuana approach, we should continue to watch it. … There’s a belief among some that if you just legalized it, that everything would be fine. I think you’d see economic dislocation and some really, really bad public health problems.”

*On the death penalty: “I believe the death penalty is appropriate in extreme circumstances. … I don’t think it’s a panacea, by any stretch. … One of the things that made it clear where I fell on the spectrum was the Polly Klass case; can someone show that they are so completely irredeemable as a human being that they deserve to be put to death? And my answer to that, ultimately, is yes.”

*On his court experience — or critics might say lack of it: “My first year out of law school was spent clerking for a federal judge in San Diego … and I saw an immense number of cases in that year. During that year, it was the busiest federal judicial district in the nation. So I’ve seen the system from the inside, and I learned some of the things that work, and some of the things that don’t … but in a lot of cases, it’s great to have somebody coming from outside the system … to go in and rethink a lot of these things, and what’s possible.

“People who are in a system for a long time often get sort of … they think the boundaries are too small. And I want to help us rethink this.”

“Someone with a new take on things can deliver great benefits to the citizens of California.”

*On Prop 8: “I believe in marriage equality … and have always been a believer in full equality for gays and lesbians.”

*On what’s next: “You’ll see me doing online forums, in-person forums, and traveling around the state to talk to voters.”

There’s plenty more questions for Kelly and the rest of the candidates in what will be a tough race. But here’s his first campaign pitch on — what else — Facebook: